A fixed wing aircraft, such as a fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is typically launched from a runway or airstrip and recovered by landing the UAV on a runway or airstrip. In particular, to launch a fixed wing UAV, the UAV is propelled along a runway until the UAV reaches a speed at which it can generate enough lift to fly. To recover a fixed wing UAV, the UAV is directed onto a runway where the speed of the UAV is slowly decreased.